The foundation of my culinary education was unconventional, to say the least. In the 90s, I was taught by my best friend, Ben Hodges, formerly of the River Café, and brother to Jake Hodges, who co-founded Moro in London. We’d cater for hundreds at weddings, and thousands at festivals from Glastonbury to Green Man, cooking Spanish- and Italian-influenced food. When we weren’t getting stuck in ditches in muddy fields, we’d be driving to the south of Spain in search of olive oil and life.
That education led to a lifelong passion for Spanish and Italian cuisine, and I’m still enamoured of their effortless simplicity, technique and flavour. The bedrock of Mediterranean cuisine is founded on heritage products created for preservation: prosciutto, coppa and bresaola (cured beef) from Italy, and jamón serrano, lomo and chorizo from Spain, to name just a few.
